Allegedly had relationship with 13-year-old student

Three months after a former Somerville teacher was charged with possessing child pornography, a Somerville teacher has been arraigned on rape charges for conducting an inappropriate relationship with a 13-year-old minor on school grounds, according the the district attorney's office.

News partner Wicked Local reports Alexandra Romanos, 41, of Stoneham, a fifth-grade teacher at the East Somerville Neighborhood School, was arrested and arraigned Wednesday on charges of aggravated rape of a child (two counts), and indecent assault and battery on a child under the age of 14 (three counts).

According to a press release from the mayor's office, Romanos has taught in Somerville for seven years. She has been placed on administrative leave.

"We are repulsed and angry that someone who made an oath to uphold the highest moral standards in the execution of her responsibilities as a teacher and role model has allegedly blatantly violated that trust," the school and city said in a joint statement.

The charges came after a parent spotted disturbing online messages and notified school officials, Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan told NewsCenter 5.

"This case came to light because a parent was doing what parents should be doing," Ryan said. "These are allegations but they are very disturbing. . . you trust your children to your teachers."

Romanos' former students were at a loss for words.

"She was a great teacher, she helped out after school every day," said Arjun Singh, now a high school senior. "This is tragic, to see something like this."

High school senior Bruno Urils said Romanos was a fun teacher.

"It's unbelievable," Urils said. "Something like this I would never expect."

Somerville District Court Judge Neil Walker ordered Romanos held on $50,000 with conditions that if she posts bail she is to have no contact with the victim or victim’s family; no unsupervised contact with children under 16; stay away from Somerville School system; have a GPS monitor and remain under house arrest.

Romanos' next court date is July 29 for a probable cause hearing.

“The safety and well-being of our students is always our highest priority, so it is all the more disturbing that a teacher—the very individual most entrusted to ensure that safety on a daily basis—has allegedly blatantly violated that trust,” said Mayor Joseph Curtatone in a press release from the district attorney's office.

In the press release, Curtatone said a parent reported the alleged abuse and the DA's office said the investigation began at the end of June. The investigation by the DA's office and Somerville police reportedly discovered Romanos had begun a sexual relationship with the minor that occurred on and off school grounds.

According to a press release from the mayor's office, at the start of the investigation Romanos was placed on administrative leave and barred from all school properties and functions.

Romanos is the second Somerville-connected teacher to be charged with sexual crimes relating to children in the past several months. In April, federal officials then-Cambridge and former Healey School teacher Josh Wairi with transporting child pornography. Wairi also reportedly admitted to videotaping children undressing in a locker room.

Parents and guardians with questions for school administrators or who are seeking support services are encouraged to contact Director of Student Services Rich Melillo at 617-625-6600 ext. 6028 or rmelillo@k12.somerville.ma.us or School Information Officer Susana Hernandez-Morgan at 617-629-5221 smorgan@k12.somerville.ma.us. Anyone with information that they feel is relevant to the investigation should contact Sgt. Rich Lavey of the Somerville Police Department at 617-625-1600 ext. 7237.

The Somerville Office of Constituent Services’ 24-hour hotline is open for parents, guardians, teachers, and others concerned who have questions about this situation. The number is 311 from landlines inside Somerville or 617-666-3311 from cell phones or from outside of Somerville.

Somerville public schools will activate the Somerville Trauma Response Network and the Riverside Trauma Center to provide counseling and other resources for students, teachers, city staff, parents and guardians, for as long as it is needed. These counselors will also be available to talk to parents and guardians about how to approach this subject with their children.

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THE TRAINS AND BUSES OPERATING ON TIME. SEVEN MINUTES AFTER 6:00. RIGHT NOW A MUCH ADMIRED PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHER IS BEHIND BARS. APPARENTLY, THE DISTURBING DISCOVERY. WE'RE IN SOMERVILLE RIGHT NOW. PAM CROSS HAS THE CHARGES INVOLVING A YOUNG STUDENT THERE. GOOD MORNING. THE INVESTIGATORS SAY THESE ALLEGED ASSAULTS WERE DISCOVERED BECAUSE A PARENT GOT SUSPICIOUS. THIS MORNING, FORMER STUDENTS ARE SHOCKED. SHE WAS HYPER. SHE WAS FUNNY. SOMETHING LIKE THIS, I WOULD NEVER EXPECT. IT'S UNBELIEVABLE. FORMER STUDENTS CAN'T FIND THE WORDS. 41-YEAR-OLD ALEXANDRA ROMANOS IS ACCUSED OF HAVING A SEXUAL RELATIONSHIP WITH A 13 YEARLY. ALLEGEDLY IT STARTED IN MARCH, THE ABUSE ON AND OFF SCHOOL GROUNDS. THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY SAYS AN ALERT PARENT SPOTTED CONCERNING CLUES ONLINE. THESE ARE ALLEGATIONS, BUT THEY ARE VERY DISTURBING ALLEGATIONS, AS THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY AND A PARENT, IT'S DISTURBING. YOU TRUST YOUR CHILDREN TO YOUR TEACHERS. ROMANOS, WHO TAUGHT AT EAST SOMERVILLE COMMUNITY SCHOOL, FACES MULTIPLE COUNTS OF AGGRAVATED CHILD RAPE AND INDECENT ASSAULT AND BATTERY OF A CHILD UNDER 14. HER FORMER STUDENTS SIMPLY STUNNED. SHE'S A GREAT TEACHER. SHE HELPS OUT AFTER SCHOOL EVERY DAY. IT'S TRAGIC SOMETHING LIKE THIS CAN HAPPEN. SHE'S A TEACHER THAT'S BEEN IN THE SYSTEM FOR SEVEN YEARS.